1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with an improved saddle tree assembly which is adjustable front to rear and side to side so as to accommodate the particular physical characteristics of a given horse. More particularly, it is concerned with such a tree assembly comprising a pair of laterally spaced apart, flexible synthetic resin skirts, together with an overlying saddle tree frame; threaded adjustment structure is used to interconnect the skirts and frame, permitting selective shifting of at least certain portions of the frame toward and away from the underlying skirts. The assembly of the invention is also improved by provision of plural, layered, progressively smaller mounting plates secured to the fore and aft ends of the skirts in such a manner as to permit limited spring-like flexure of the skirts and mounting plates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A major problem in saddling is the tendency of many horses to slope downwardly from rear to front. This "downhill" conformation causes the weight of the rider to be concentrated over the wither shoulder area of the horse, particularly if the saddle sits too low in front. Since weight cannot be carried by the horse on this arched shoulder area without pinching, it is necessary to shift the weight being borne to a more rearward portion of the saddle. The traditional approach to this problem is to move the saddle forward up onto the shoulders, thereby raising the front of the saddle; however, this expedient often gives disastrous results to the physiology and mechanics of the horse. Another attempted solution to this problem is to add padding under the saddle, but this in turn can create a very unstable saddling condition by inducing side to side roll of saddle and rider.
Another related problem results from the fact that a very high percentage of horses are "one-sided" right or left. Without expert training to overcome this inherent characteristic, a horse may develop a visible difference in the size of his shoulders and an aberration in gait. Finally, horses ridden extensively at square trot often develop a condition wherein the left front shoulder is over developed, while the right rear, working in conjunction with the left front leg, will also be larger and over developed.
As an example of the foregoing difficulties, consider a horse thin in the wither and shoulder area and having a downhill conformation. Further, assume that a horse is much stronger and more developed on his left shoulder than on his right, with a corresponding over developed right rear. It will be readily appreciated that saddling of such a horse using conventional saddles will be very difficult. Thus, while in theory it is understood that a saddle should be ride-balanced both front to rear and side to side, accomplishing this goal with many horses can be a daunting task.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,734 represents a significant breakthrough in the art in that it provides a flexible saddle which distributes the combined weight of saddle and rider over a large surface area on a horse's back, thereby minimizing bruising and soreing of the horse. However, the saddle described in this patent does not provide multiple points of adjustment permitting the saddle to be "custom tailored" to a particular horse. U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,734 is incorporated by reference herein.